Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is operating in the fast lane.
The family-owned chain, with headquarters in Oklahoma City, celebrated a record-breaking 2016. It opened 47 new locations in 20 states—the most new-store openings in a year since the company’s inception in 1964.
“We are fortunate to be in a state of growth,” says Kealey Dorian, communications specialist for Love’s.
Love’s surpassed 400 stores last November, another major milestone for the company, which now has 349 Travel Stops and 62 Country Stores in 40 states. It also owns 11 hotels, with more on the way.
While 2016 was a great year for Love’s, “we’re already looking ahead to 2017,” says Dorian.
Love’s journey began in Watonga, Okla., where its first store is located and still operating. The site has been renovated since opening in 1964, but it remains one of the smallest locations in Love’s network at 2,700 square feet. It’s a traditional c-store, offering gourmet coffee, fountain drinks and snacks.
Compare that to the recently opened travel center in Cayce, S.C., which is 13,000 square feet. In addition to traditional c-store items, this location has gifts, toys, electronics, mobile accessories and more. And for professional drivers, amenities include seven showers, CAT scales, a Love’s Truck Tire Care center and 92 truck parking spaces.
“Over the years, we’ve evolved into a one-stop shop for professional drivers and leisure travelers,” Dorian says.
The Cayce location was one of five travel centers to open Dec. 15, 2016, representing the most store openings in a single day for Love’s. Together, the stores added more than 450 truck parking spaces to the retailer’s network. That’s only a fraction of the more than 3,000 spaces added during 2016.
The company plans to add just as many parking spaces this year: about 3,400.
Love’s will reach that without a problem, considering it plans to add 50 or more stores in 2017, Dorian says. “We have a great development team who has worked hard over the last several years to set us up for continued expansion,” she says.
Love’s is also expanding its Truck Tire Care center, which offers heavy-duty tire care, including TirePass, an inspection service for professional drivers; light mechanical services; and roadside assistance.
The program will roll out to more travel-stop locations and offer additional services, including oil changes and maintenance for transmission and gear boxes.
“By the end of 2017, we will have more than 300 maintenance facilities ready to take care of the trucking industry’s over-the-road maintenance needs,” said co-CEO Frank Love.
As Love’s has expanded, it has stepped up its overall highway hospitality, and its growing hotel business is a fairly new part of that.
Love’s hotel branch—Love’s Hospitality—began in 2014. It includes 11 hotels, with brands such as Best Western Plus, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Sleep Inn & Suites, Sleep Inn & MainStay Suites, Comfort Inn & Suites, Suburban Extended Stay and Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham.
Each hotel averages 18,000 square feet, with about 75 rooms and 16 employees. “All of the hotels are and will be adjacent to a Love’s Travel Stop,” says Tom Love, Love’s founder and executive chairman. “How natural a fit is between a Love’s and a hotel, that’s still evolving. We’re pretty confident that we are finding synergies.”
Eight hotels are slated to open in 2017, including a Hampton Inn & Suites and a couple of Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
“We’re committed to serving our customers in as many ways as possible,” Frank Love said.
So for Love’s, it’s full speed ahead in 2017.
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